Biweekly pay system set for March debut

by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

s of early March, University employees will be paid every two weeks.

     The effective date for the transition from the current payroll and human resources systems on the five University campuses to a system-wide implementation of PeopleSoft has been moved from Feb. 4 to March 4, according to Juan Jarrett, assistant vice chancellor for Human Resources. Jarrett said that making the shift in March rather than February is useful for a number of reasons.

     "While it could have been possible for us to go live in February, it was worthwhile for us to shoot for the March date to be more ready," he said. "It's a massive undertaking on any campus to change a major administrative system."

     Jarrett said that because the Legislature went back into session in early January, his office is hopeful that the University's collective bargaining contracts will be funded in time to add July 1, 2001, cost-of-living increases to the old payroll system before converting to the new one. If the contracts are funded too close to the PeopleSoft implementation, changing employees' pay rates in the system would have to wait until late spring, according to Jacqui Watrous, Amherst campus project manager. Watrous and Jarrett indicated that Human Resources staff prefer to be able to include the increases in employee checks sooner, rather than later. In either case, retroactive pay will have to be calculated after the system is up and running, toward the end of the fiscal year, they said.

     In addition, the state is upgrading its payroll system in February, and because the University relies on the state controller's office to warrant, or examine and approve, the payroll, the project management team decided that having two upgrades at once might limit the support the state could provide the University during the implementation of its upgrade.

     "Everyone felt more comfortable about moving to a March date," Jarrett said.

     Posters advertising the changes to the University's payroll system were distributed in December and, therefore, contain the February implementation date. Other information on the posters remains accurate.

     Employees can expect their last weekly paycheck Friday, March 1. No checks or payroll advances will be issued March 8. The first biweekly checks, which will cover two pay periods, will be issued March 15.

     In early February, Human Resources is making available brochures, memos and flyers that explain how the new system and being paid biweekly affect employees, Jarrett said. Among the topics covered will be expanded opportunities for direct deposit, crediting of accrued leave time, withholding, and frequency of deductions.

     Among the changes for Amherst campus employees are the move from awarding vacation and sick time monthly to every pay period. Personal time now will accrue and expire in the calendar year, rather than the fiscal year.